It was probably sealed with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter of the Pacers’ Game 2 win over the Hawks in Indianapolis on Wednesday night. That was when center Roy Hibbert set a high screen on the right wing for point guard George Hill. Hibbert rolled to the basket, losing Hawks center Johan Petro as he did. Hill fed him a bounce pass, and Hibbert leapt to the rim as Atlanta’s Ivan Johnson stepped in to help. Hibbert powered over Johnson, smothering him as he landed a dunk and drew a foul.

The Hawks had come into Game 2 promising to be more physical with the Pacers, after spending too much time complaining about the referees and settling for jumpers in Game 1. But after Hibbert’s slam, it was clear the Hawks still were lagging in the physicality category—and it was equally clear that the Pacers are back on track.

That’s not to say the Hawks weren’t tougher in Game 2. They were. But the 113-98 finish and ease with which the Pacers handled the Hawks’ newfound focus on giving out contact and crowding the lane is something we hadn’t been seeing from Indiana heading into the playoffs. Not only did the Pacers take the Hawks’ best shots, but they actually cut their turnovers down from 14 in Game 1 to 10 in Game 2.

“That’s probably the most impressive thing about the whole game,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “Not only were they being physical but they were trying to take our air space more and trying to pressure us more defensively and force more turnovers. We had less turnovers in Game 2 than we had in Game 1.”

Certainly, there was cause for worry when it came to the Pacers in the postseason. They closed the season with five losses in their final six games, losing out to the Knicks for the No. 2 seed in the East. Chief among those concerns was the play of budding star Paul George, whose struggles with consistency resurfaced at the end of the year. George closed with a bad final five games: 10.8 points, 28.3 percent shooting from the field and 21.4 percent from the 3-point line.

Throw that aside. George has done more than shake off his late slump—he has taken on star responsibilities and come through. In Game 1, he shot only 3-for-13 from the field, but went 17-for-18 from the free-throw line, part of his first postseason triple-double that saw him score 23 points with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. In Game 2, he finally located his shot, going 11-for-21 from the field, scoring 27 points with eight rebounds.

Whether George was up for the challenge of leading a playoff team with high expectations was a question. “I said I won’t shy away from the moment and the moment is now,” George told reporters. “For the team to play well, I have to play well. I don't want to let the team down.”

The Pacers’ major weakness in these playoffs remains the bench, which ranked 20th in scoring in the regular season. After being outscored 29-24 in Game 1, the Pacers’ reserves redeemed themselves in Game 2, led by 15 points from one of the team’s more disappointing offseason acquisitions, guard Gerald Green. Indiana got 38 bench points, to 27 for the Hawks.

The Pacers weren’t expected to have too much trouble with the Hawks in this series, so their 2-0 lead isn’t wholly surprising. But the way they’ve played should raise some eyebrows in New York, where the Knicks also have a 2-0 lead in their series and would face the Pacers in the second round. Eyebrows figure to be raised in Miami, too, where the Heat are up 2-0, and could potentially see the Pacers in the conference final.

Those teams had to be hoping that the Pacers’ late swoon was indicative of a young team losing its composure, because for both of the East’s top seeds, the Pacers remain the most problematic matchup. The ability of Hibbert to score in the middle, the toughness of David West at power forward and the muscle that Tyler Hansbrough brings off the bench are daunting propositions for both New York and Miami.

But if the Pacers’ bench is producing offense? If George’s slump is truly behind him and he keeps up the dominance he’s shown so far? And if Hibbert keeps throwing down energizing dunks like the one that victimized Johnson? Those factors make the Pacers the most dangerous non-Heat team in the Eastern Conference once again.